


The Smallest of Gestures

by Sinclaironfire



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Aunt May is the best Aunt, Fluff Fic, He gets his hug, Miles Morales is a ray of sunshine, Minor Angst, Noir Loves Colors, Noir Loves Soft Things, Noir is A Softie, Peter Benjamin Parker Needs a Hug, Spider-Noir lives a lonely life, Spider-Noir needs a hug, These are facts of life, Things go great for Noir, This man gets easily attached, i'm back at it again, token of affection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 06:26:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17420774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinclaironfire/pseuds/Sinclaironfire
Summary: Noir comes from a universe where friends are just people who have yet to betray you. He doesn't expect things to change until he gets an invitation from his fellow spiders.





	The Smallest of Gestures

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Celebrimbors](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celebrimbors/gifts).



> This was largely inspired by a very long and wonderful twitter exchange with the fabulous Celebrimbors. I hope you like your gift!

In the universe of Peter Benjamin Parker, it was commonplace to be robbed and left for dead. It was usual for Nazi to terrorize people and to murder. It was normal to find people lying dead in the street and a host of busy New Yorkers walking by as if they never saw the corpse in the first place.

It was this run of the murder mill and terror that Peter Benjamin Parker, better known to the citizen as Spider-Noir, fought so hard to oppose. It was an uphill battle of who would get who first, who would knock him out and try to give him a pair of cement shoes, and worst yet, who would be the ally to shoot him in the back.

Safe havens weren’t always safe and friends…well he had none to speak of. People could be bought off or worse killed if they didn’t comply with the iron first of crime that threatened to strangle the life out of his city.

But then his strange, crime-riddled life took a turn for the even stranger. Suddenly, Noir found himself in an alternate universe where there was not only life flowing freely but colors that he’d never seen before, laughter that was shared without fear, love done without bullets flying, and five other Spider-Men. It was strange but it was also a welcomed change of pace from the isolation that his career brought upon him. The fellows spiders understood the risks, the triumphs, and the dangers of the job. It created an unspeakable and unbreakable bond that he cherished instantly.

Never before did he think that he would have…friends or people who were like him and understood him. It was nice but it wasn’t meant to last. The colors, the lights, and even his new found friends were forced to return to their own universes. It saddened him deeply. Finding people who knew exactly what he was going through was an impossible feat. To not feel like an outcast for those few days was sheer bliss.

Well, he had his day in the sun and he would to go back to the shadows of his life filled with violence, Nazis, greasy spoons but he wouldn’t do it with a smile. Nothing could compare to the happiness he felt with his fellow spiders.

To his surprise, months after the brief but wonderful meeting with his fellow spiders, Noir received his first bit of color that didn’t come from his famed Rubik’s cube whose home was now on his desk.

It was a letter but not just any letter. It was a bright, sunshine daisy yellow letter sitting on his desk. It almost hurt to look at it. Almost. With trembling hands he picked up the letter. Part of him had dreamed of this moment - contact from the others – they hadn’t forgotten him. And yet, well…what was the point? This New York was his. It was dirty, filled to the brim with Nazis and mobsters, and the worst scum that humanity had to offer. He didn’t belong with the other spiders in their perfect colorful world.

Noir almost didn’t pick up the letter. What was the point in torturing himself with what he could never have again? And yet, he ended up picking up the letter anyway. The color entranced him into picking it up. If he was still enough, he could feel the warmth of the sun. Noir held the letter in his hands and read it softly.

_Hold your breath and hold on tight_

“What?”

Suddenly, a light, brighter than anything he ever knew, flashed behind him. A powerful gust of wind, not like the kind that dramatically blew his coat, pulled him closer and closer to the now swirling portal behind him. Resistance was futile. Noir was sucked in without a chance to say a final line.

 

* * *

 

Waking up hurt more than usual. It took Noir a moment but he was eventually able to turn himself over onto his back. Normally, when he was knocked out like so, he ended up face down in a filthy alley in the pouring rain. This was different. He was in someone’s backyard and….Noir squinted. Was that…sunshine?

Sunshine!

Light!

Color!

It was everything that he missed and more!

“Peter? Are you okay? You took quite a fall.”

He blinked once then twice and saw standing before him, Aunt May smiling warmly at him. She helped him up and dusted the dirt off of his trench coat. Seeing Aunt May didn’t feel real. All the colors and the warmth…it felt like the beginning of a beautiful dream that he wouldn’t be able to truly love because it would all be taken away.

“Aunt May?” his voice quivered.

This couldn’t possibly be real and then it hit him.

“Oh god, I’m dead.”

“You’re not dead, honey,” she lightly laughed, “You’re home.”

 

* * *

 

 

It took Peni and an ice pack but the prodigy made it all clear. She had invented a way for the spiders to come together. It stunned him that the others felt the same about not being able to come together. He thought he was the only one who missed everyone else. He was happy to be proven wrong. Of course, after not seeing them for some time, it was agreed upon by each spider that they all needed to spend time together. Thus, they prepared for a mission of the upmost importance: Bonding Time.

The Spider-Crew was going to spend a at Coney with fun-filled day of rides, over-priced snacks, and cheaply made stuffed animals. There was to be no crime-fighting, no evil plots of world domination, or multiverse peril. Each of the Spider-Crew was divided into twos and would switch throughout the day so that everyone would spend quality time with another.

Noir didn’t know what to expect. When they told him of Coney Island, it felt as thought they were walking into a den of depravity but instead, he was greeted by smiling faces, laughter, and happy families enjoying their day out.

Everything was so different from the New York that he knew. It was a dizzying experience. The smells alone were overpowering and the noise! Noir was quieter than normal as his fellow spiders dragged him through every inch of the amusement park. He was attempting to adjust to the sunlight, the beauty of colors that he didn’t know the names to, just everything that he ever wanted but could never say out loud. He almost forgot that he was with his fellow spiders until Miles asked him.

“Do you have a Coney Island in your universe?”

“What? Uh, yes. It’s used as a base for a major drug supplier in the city. I’ve had to burn it down three times and yet, it always manages to come back up. The city will never be clean”

“Wow,” Miles nodded. “That is super heavy…hey! Look! A water gun game!”

The mention of ‘gun’ put Noir on high alert but when he saw Miles mingling with teens his age, each talking about how they would beat the competition and win the prize. Noir awkwardly made his way through the crowd and stuck close to Miles.

“That’s not a gun,” he murmured, “This is a-“ he went for his side piece but a hasty Miles pushed his arm down before a panic could ensue.

“Nah, it’s cool, man! It’s cool! See, the-the point of the game is to shoot as many targets as you can and if you hit enough, you win a prize.”

“I see. What’s inside the toys?”

“What?”

“Drugs? Needles? Other contraband?”

Miles shook his head. “No, it’s…they’re just toys. Probably like cotton or polyester fiber or something, I don’t know. Look, um, watch me and my skills and you’ll see.”

Watching Miles go against other people was a sight to see. The young and up and coming hero hit every target with speed and precision or as much as one could with a water gun. After a minute of hitting every target perfectly, Miles was declared the winner. The young spider collected his prize while Noir contemplated the act of shooting clowns to win a prize. The children were being rewarded for every shot that they took with the promise of a bigger prize and the satisfaction of knowing that they were the victor. Was it some insidious scheme? To create a child militia?

It felt likely.

He could see it in the booth manager’s eyes. The working stiff who looked as though he could care less about the children or the prizes was really a man working for the mob, waiting to taint the city with his devious scheme. Evil was everywhere. Even in this carnival cavalcade of fun and merriment.

“Hey! Noir, check it out!” shouted Miles, breaking him out of his hardboiled inner monologue.

Miles shoved his prize into Noir’s face. The black and white hero barely registered what it was until it was in his hands.

It was a teddy bear. The bear was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses. A smile of pure happiness was stitched upon it’s face. It’s brown fur was as soft as a cloud. Noir stared at Miles quizzically.

“It’s for you!” Miles said. “What do you think?”

 His fellow spider had braved the criminal element to win him a prize? This stuffed teddy-bear that was oh so soft and warm and bright? Just for him? Noir sniffled. His hands shook. Miles’ grin faded a little.

“Uh, Noir? You okay, man? You’re kinda of freaking me out here.”

“I’m fine,” he tearfully gasped. “I…I can’t…I….thank you, Miles.” His tears did not subside.

“Yean, no problem.”

Noir held onto the teddy bear as if his life depended on it. Even when he and his fellow spiders went back to Aunt May’s house, the bear was still in his grasp and he never put it down once. Noir’s quiet sniffling could be heard. The bear sat on the table as they ate dinner, dessert, and when they watched a movie that night, the bear was in Noir’s hand throughout the entirety of it.

“Man, you really like that bear, huh?” said Miles as he and rest of the spiders were getting for bed.

The bear which was still in Noir’s possession, even as he brushed his teeth, had remained by his side throughout. Miles couldn’t recall if he had seen Noir put it down.

“I do,” answered Noir sincerely. “In my universe, the only gift friends give me is a knife in the back. This bear…this wonderful bear is a sign that I have friends now. Thank you Miles.”

“Aww, you’re gonna make me cry.”

“Is that slang?”

“No, seriously, you’re gonna make me cry,” said Miles wiping his eyes. “That was so…so beautiful.”

 

* * *

 

 The teddy bear, now known by the spiders as Teddy-Noir, was a common sight wherever Noir was. The bear’s home was in his trench coat to which when asked about the bear, Noir would open his coat to reveal his most prized possession and say, “Have you met my associate?”

Teddy-Noir was the most beloved thing that Noir ever had. Not even his Rubik Cube that brought him fame and astounded people held the same amount of affection as Teddy-Noir did. But of course, living in the universe that he did, Noir was more likely to come under a hail of bullets. While he was able to get out of most situations alive and fairly unscathed, the same could not be said for Teddy-Noir. Bullet holes tore the stuffed animals to pieces.

The color was gone from Noir’s life. The little bit of yellow – that happiness that filled his life – was dead in an alley way.

 

* * *

 

Aunt May was a woman who had seen it all. Her home was a safe place for spiders of every variation. She was a bastion of support and love. No matter what the occasion whether it was dating woes, test fears, comedic timing, or what, she was there to make it better. That night as it stormed harder than ever before, she was treated to the sight of Peter Benjamin Parker, choking back tears, as he gingerly held Teddy-Noir.

“Can you fix him? Please?”

“Of course I can, honey. Take a seat. I’ll grab my kit.”

The operation was fraught with tears from Noir and cursing from May whenever she pricked her finger. It took over two hours. But it was worth it in May’s humble opinion. Every stitch needed to be perfect. When she was done, she presented the now patched but fixed Teddy-Noir to Peter.

“There. All done.”

Noir gently hugged his partner in crime. “Thank you Aunt May.”

“You’re welcome, honey. Hold on a minute before you go. I’ve got something for you.”

“What is it?” Noir asked.

“I thought your partner could use a change of clothes,” she said, putting a box in front of him.

Noir gently opened the box. Inside was a matching gray trench coat and fedora. He gasped and said in a hushed whisper, “I love it.”

“Thought you would.”


End file.
